Are we growing a nation of fat kids?

How healthy is South Africa's youngest generation? A range of allied research at UCT – from nutrition and dietetics, to health economics and transport engineering – hones in on the obstacles we're placing in the paths of young children's lives.

• Tipping the scales: SA's kids too fat, too sedentary
  For the first time in many generations, children born from 2000 could have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, by up to five years. This is the result of poor diet and exercise habits, attendees at the launch of the 2014 Healthy Active Kids Report Card heard. Read more.


• Feast your eyes
  Nearly 50% of food ads – predominantly for franchised fast food, sweetened drinks and desserts – flight during family viewing times. What are the implications for the food choices and health of young children in South Africa, and what can be done about it? Read more.


• Baby fat
  Research shows that the prevalence of obesity is higher among women than men, a red flag for children's health. Obese women are likely to give birth to and raise children who might become obese or overweight, says Dr Olufunke Alaba of the Health Economics Unit in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine. Read more.


• Saddle up
  In a country where children are becoming increasingly overweight as a result of sedentary lifestyles, cycling is one way to get them to burn up calories while moving from A to B. But are our city's roads built for cyclists? Read more.

Stories by Helen Swingler. Photos by Michael Hammond.